Gavin Wilkinson and the Portland Timbers are not done wheeling and dealing.
Two days after swapping starting goalkeepers with the Montreal Impact, the last-place team in MLS signed New Zealand international left back Ian Hogg on Thursday and shipped American left back Mike Chabala to D.C. United in exchange for a 2014 first-round Supplemental Draft pick.
Mike Chabala takes MLSsoccer.com to breakfast
The 22-year-old Hogg recently played in his second Olympics in London, appearing in all three group matches. He's a long-time New Zealand youth international and also has four caps with the senior New Zealand team.
Hogg has also featured in two FIFA Club World Cups with New Zealand club Auckland City FC, where he has played since the 2009 season.
“Ian is a young, talented left back with good athleticism and a desire to succeed,” said Portland GM and interim head coach Wilkinson, a fellow New Zealander, in a club statement. “We have signed him through the remainder of the season and look forward to closely evaluating him as we move to next season.”
Hogg will formally join the Timbers when his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate are in. Scotsman Steven Smith has carried the bulk of minutes at left back for the Timbers in the most recent stretch of league matches.
Smith took over for 28-year-old Chabala, who has made only one start in the club's last nine league matches and has been in-and-out of the Portland lineup in 2012.
D.C. United will be his third club after playing five-and-a-half seasons with the Houston Dynamo before the trade that sent him to Portland.
Chabala's arrival is opportune as regular D.C. left back Daniel Woolard is listed as out on the most recent team injury report with concussion-like symptoms.
